Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

Wine flavor chemistry is a complex and diverse field that ranges from the potently aromatic pyrazines to the complex polymeric tannins. Modern chemistry is now opening some doors to the mysteries of wine flavor, and this unique monograph is dedicated to current research developments. The book starts with the Riesling terpenes, which responsible for floral aroma when new and the kerosene-like aroma that appears in old age, and with the chemically related norisprenoids found in Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It includes three reports on flavors of microbial origin, particularly the effects of different yeast strains, and it looks at important factors in aging, including acetalhyde, the contribution of oak, and problems with cork taint. It also explores in detail the relationship between winemaking techniques and the chemistry and taste attributes of phenolic compounds.

Review

"Meeting in San Francisco, an easy stagger to some of the world's best wine regions, in April 1997, chemists from around the world trade their findings concerning the chemical basis of why a particular wine tastes a particular way at a particular time. Their reports include methoxypyrazines of grapes and wines, seasonal variation in the production of hydrogen sulfide during fermentation, phenolic composition as related to red wine flavor, why wines taste bitter and feel astringent, the impact of cooperage techniques and aging conditions on the volatile odoriferous compounds in barrel-aged wines, detecting cork taint in wine using automated solid-phase microextraction in combination with GC/MS-SIM, and flavor-matrix interactions."--SciTech Book News

"Oxford University Press is distributing Chemistry of Wine by editors: Dr. Andrew L. Waterhouse, associate professor of enology, and Dr. Susan E. Ebeler, assistant professor of enology, at U.C. Davis. The book compiles the latest wine flavor chemistry research results, which were presented at the 1997 American Chemical Society Symposium in San Francisco, California. The compilation includes text and graphics from 16 presentations that ranged in content from 'Why Do Wines Taste Bitter and Feel Astringent' to 'Analysis, Structure and Reactivity of Labile Terpenoid Aroma Precursors in Riesling Wine.'"--Vineyard and Winery Management

"This 16-chapter volume, based on a 1997 symposium, covers the chemistry of wine flavors from several perspectives. The first five chapters examine flavors that are derived from grapes, whereas the next four chapters focus on flavors formed during the primary and secondary fermentation process. The effects of polyphenols on the properties of wine are explored in Chapters 10-12, and the remainder of the book covers such topics as aldehyde levels in wines as they age and the interactions between aroma compounds and nonvolatile components in wine and their effect on the overall aroma."--Journalof the American Chemical Society

Synopsis

Wine flavor chemistry is a complex and diverse field that ranges from the potently aromatic pyrazines to the complex polymeric tannins. Modern chemistry is now opening some doors to the mysteries of wine flavor, and this unique monograph is dedicated to current research developments.